Settled Arctic sea ice science: "current satellite systems are being confused by meltwater. Satellites, he said, are even struggling to track the difference between newly formed ice and open water with waves or foam"

Room for Native wisdom in monitoring Arctic sea ice | Alaska Dispatch

Eicken said the new ice is more difficult to predict not only because it changes quickly but also because current satellite systems are being confused by meltwater. Satellites, he said, are even struggling to track the difference between newly formed ice and open water with waves or foam. Native observers are often far more accurate at predicting when ice is forming than satellites, scientists have noted, even with the changing conditions.